Remember those clowns from birthday parties when you were little — the ones with the funny big feet, colorful wigs, and always with a nice big smile? They would tell jokes and make balloon animals for you and all your friends. Clowns were an essential at birthday parties, but they are causing nightmares now.

All over the nation, clowns are terrorizing people. It started with clowns luring children into the woods, bribing them with candy and money. The creepy clown craze has escalated more over the past few months. They have chased kids with knives from bus stops and have been stalking around people’s homes. One even had a machete! In Pryor, Oklahoma, in mid October, Aime Jones stopped to help a woman whose van had broken down. Two men dressed as stalker clowns ran out, drug Aime from her car, tied her hands together, choked and punched her, put out their cigarettes on one cheek and cut the other. Then, they wrote “Clown Posse” in marker on her face before taking off. These stalker clowns have said to be seen all across the country, some watching people and others hurting.

Honestly this clown fiasco is getting out of hand. Why would anyone in their right mind even want to hurt children? People are just terrible. I have had a fear of clowns before this and hearing that they are getting closer and closer makes me nervous for our community. People are getting arrested for these clown situations. Target has removed all clown mask from their stores. I suggest that if you were planning on wearing a clown costume for Halloween, you put it up until all of this clown drama is sorted out.